Car-brake



(No Model.) V

H. A. KRUPKE.

GAR BRAKE q viwwwao I UNITED STATES I HERMAN A. KRUPKE, OF PAYNESVILLE, MINNESOTA.

CAR-BRAKE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 555,011, dated February 18, 1896.

Application fil d November 15, 1895. $erial No. 569,088. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HERMAN A. KRUPKE, of Paynesville, in the county of Stearns and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car-Brakes; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use it, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification.

This invention pertains to car-brakes, and the object of the same is to provide a mechanism which may be operated byhand at the locomotive for applying the brakes throughout the train.

The invention consists in the novel features of construction hereinafter fully described and claimed, and illustrated by the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a plan of a train of cars shown in elevation provided with my improvement. Fig. 2 is an inverted plan view of the tankcar or tender and one of the train-cars. Fig. 3 is a detail view of a portion of the brake mechanism.

A designates the tank-car or tender having the usual trucks B.

C designates push-bars arranged longitudinally on each side of the tender on its under side, said push-bars being supported to move longitudinally in the guide-brackets D. The central portion of each push-bar is formed into a rack E, and depending from opposite sides of the car are the brackets F, which support the transverse shaft G, carrying pinions H, which engage racks E. One end of shaft Gr projects through and beyond bracket F and carries pinion I, which is engaged by the screw-gear J on the lower end of shaft K, extending diagonally upward and forward to the front end of the tender, and there carrying the crank L. Shaft K is supported at its lower end in the short brackets or bearings K, while at its upper end it is supported upon the standard-bearing L.

The cars comprising the train each carry the parallel longitudinally-movable bars M, mounted in a manner similar to the bars on the tender and arranged in line with said lastnamed bars, so that the ends of the tenderbars Will bear against the ends of the bars carried by the cars. The meeting ends of the bars are provided with the enlarged shoes N. The bars M of each car are formed with the central rack portion M, which are engaged by pinions 0 carried by the transverse shaft P revoluble in the depending bearings P. Bars M are held normally in a centrally-adjusted position upon the cars by the coiled springs Q, the said springs for the bars of each car being arranged on opposite sides of the central shaft, said springs bearing at their outer ends against the depending hangers m and at their inner ends secured to the said bars, as indicated at n.

Brake-beams R depend from the car-bottom by hangers S, and carried by the outer bar of each truck is short lever T, fulcrumed centrally thereon and connected at its lower end with the inner brake-bar, while its upper end is connect-ed by line U with shaft 0.

In operation, when it is desired to set the brakes the push-bars carried by the tender are moved rearward through the crank and worm. gear before described, thus causing the push-bars of the first car of the train to move rearward, thus rotating shaft P and cansing the line or chain U to wind thereon with the effect that the brake-beams upon the outer ends of the trucks are drawn toward the wheels, as are also the inner brake-beams, thus setting the brakes. The backward movement of bars M, however, not only serves to set the brakes upon the first car, but a corresponding movement is transmitted to the bars of the next succeeding cars with a like effect, and so on throughout the length of the train. When the brakes are released the coiled springs serve to move the bars backward to their normal central position upon the cars, in which they are held in position for another operation. The longitudinal rack-bars move in like direction in adjusting the brakes, and being arranged respectively adjacent the 0pposite longitudinal edges of the cars they are at all times in ready position for operation, whether the train be 011 a straight or curved track. In rounding curves the space between the cars on one side or the other of the coupling is contracted while the corresponding opposite space is widened, and by arranging the push-bars as shown at least one side of the brake mechanism is in actuating position all the time.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination of the rack-bars .arranged on opposite sides of the longitudinal center of the car, the transverse shaft, the pinions at its ends engaged by the rack-bars, whereby the shaft is adapted to be rotated by the separate or unitary movement of the bars, and a brake mechanism adapted to be actuated by the rotation of the shaft, substantially as shown and described.

2. The combination of the parallel longitndinally-movable bars arranged on the tender, the transverse shaft carrying pinions adapted to engage racks formed on said bars, the screw and crank gear for engaging a pinion on said transverse shaft for rotating the shaft and thus adjusting the bars, longitudinally'movable bars carried by the ears of the train and in line with the bars of the tender so as to be adjusted thereby, and brake mechanisms actuated by said bars upon the cars, substantially as shown and described.

3. The combination of the parallel bars positioned to move singly or in unison on the under side of the car and adjacent its longitudinal edges, the bars formed with racks on their under sides, shaft P journaled transversely 011 the car-bottom, the pinions on the shaft ends engaged by the racks, and the brake mechanism actuated by the shaft rotation, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HERMAN A. KRUPKE.

\Vitnesses:

FRIEDRICH W. MANZ, RUDOLPH WEBER. 

